One Health

Sarah Maddocks

AMI Policy Subcommittee Member, Lecturer, Cardiff Metropolitan University

An enthusiastic, self-motivated microbiologist and principle investigator with extensive expertise in the field of infectious disease, a good publication record and significant experience in the design, execution and management of research projects.

Jacob Hamilton

AMI Policy Subcommittee Member, Doctoral Research, John Innes Centre

Jacob started off as a chemist, completing an undergraduate degree in Pharmaceutical Science at Kingston University in 2017, including a year-long placement at GlaxoSmithKline’s Ware site. During his undergraduate, a module on infectious disease caught his attention and inspired his intertest in microbiology. Jacob then went on to do a Masters by Research in Microbiology in Prof Mark Fielder’s lab, where he investigated the occurrence of antimicrobial resistance markers in the microbiome of birds of prey, during this time he became an active member of AMI, attending various events and writing blog pieces. Currently Jacob is conducting his PhD in Prof Matt Hutching’s lab at the University of East Anglia, where he is researching microbial symbiosis with insect and plant systems, and how these may be a source of novel antimicrobials.

Sally Cutler

Committee Member, Professor, University of East London

Sally's passion for microbiology started with a BSc degree course from University College London from which she graduated in 1981. Sally then worked in diagnostic bacteriology laboratories at The Royal London and Stoke Mandeville Hospitals before moving into a research role on Lyme borreliosis based at Charing Cross Hospital (now part of Imperial College London). Whilst in this post, Sally obtained her PhD in 1992 through part-time study. Sally was awarded the W H Pierce Prize in 1994 and currently holds a Readership in the School of Health and Bioscience at the University of East London. She additionally serves as an associate editor for Clinical Microbiology & Infection and Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases, as a member of the IBMS Virology Advisory Panel, and on the IBMS London Regional Panel. Her research interests are still largely focussed upon spirochaetes and bacterial zoonoses, particularly those with an impact upon developing countries. Sally has been a member of AMI since the days when it was the Society for Applied Bacteriology. She currently serves on the Meetings Subcommittee and has been a regular participant at AMI meetings for a number of years, both as a presenter and member of the audience.

Joey Shepherd

AMI Policy Subcommittee Member, Lecturer, University of Sheffield

Joey is a Lecturer in Microbiology at the University of Sheffield’s School of Clinical Dentistry. After graduating from Leeds University in 1995 with a BSc. in Microbiology, and the University of Sheffield with an M.Med.Sci. degree in Microbial Pathogenicity, Joey completed her PhD at the University of Sheffield in 2002. She then moved to Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA, to work for Prof. Peter Libby developing near infra red in vivo molecular probes. Joey returned to the University of Sheffield in 2007 as a PDRA, where she developed a 3D model of infected tissue engineered human skin, subsequently used in several further studies. Joey took up my first academic post as a Senior Lecturer in the Biomedical Research Centre at Sheffield Hallam University in 2014, and was appointed to her current post in April 2015.

Ken Timmis

Founding Editor, Environmental Microbiology and Environmental Microbiology Reports

Kenneth Timmis has devoted his career to analysing and rebuilding the genetic machinery of bacteria, pioneering many of the essential tools of biotechnology. He has gone on to design and engineer bacterial strategies to remove environmental pollutants from contaminated soil and water.

His early studies of microbial molecular genetics clarified how bacteria reproduce their genetic material in the form of plasmids. He then demonstrated the ‘minimal replicon’, the minimum set of genes needed for a plasmid to reproduce — a concept central to cloning genetically altered bacteria for sequencing or biotechnology — and to clone entire metabolic pathways.

In parallel with his molecular approach, he has made detailed studies of microbial ecology, especially in relation to soils and hydrocarbons, enabling him to design novel biochemical pathways for bioremediation. In 2014, he proposed a strategy to stimulate economic revival in Southern European countries by harnessing the skills of young scientists to create new chemicals.

Peter Richardson

AMI Publishing Subcommittee external expert

Peter Richardson has over 40 years’ experience in scholarly publishing, half spent working for large companies (Reed Elsevier and Pearson), and half for society publishers (Royal Society of Medicine Press and British Editorial Society of Bone & Joint Surgery), of which he was Managing Director.

He has served as a Director and Honorary Treasurer of the Association of Learned & Professional Publishers (ALPSP), and was their Interim CEO for five months during 2018. He was a guest editor of the January 2020 special issue of Learned Publishing on the future of society publishing.

Peter is currently a Non-Executive Director of Portland Press, a member of the Journal Management Board of the International Journal of Psychoanalysis, and an independent publishing consultant to a range of professional societies.

Elaine Cloutman-Green

AMI Committee Member

Dr Elaine Cloutman-Green has worked as a Clinical Scientist since 2004. In 2015 she completed a PhD under the NIHR CSO Doctoral Fellowship scheme and her research on prevention of healthcare associated infection led to an NIHR ICA Clinical Lectureship award in 2016. In 2015 she was appointed the first UK based International Ambassador for the Society of Healthcare Epidemiology of America. In 2016 she became a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, Royal College of Pathologists and was appointed as a NICE Expert. She represents Healthcare Scientists as part of the ACB, and as Country Ambassador for the American Society of Microbiology.

Elitsa Penkova

Teaching Associate, University of Exeter

Elitsa is completing her undergraduate degree at the University of Exeter, studying Evolutionary Biology. She began her studies, with a focus on zoology and conservation, however quickly grew fascinated with the world of microbiology during her first-year lab practical classes. She spent several months volunteering at the university laboratories, where she assisted with research on the evolution of antimicrobial resistance. There she became certain transferring to her current course was the best decision for her. Recently, she completed a 12-month research internship at the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), looking into the potential role of commonly used disinfectants as drivers for antibiotic resistance in the aquatic environment. She feels happiest when working in the lab and looks forward to expanding her education and pursuing a career in research.

Hannah Trivett

PhD Student, University of Liverpool

Hannah completed her undergraduate degree, specialising in Microbiology, at the University of Liverpool in 2020. The summer before Hannah’s final year, she was awarded a highly competitive summer stipend to characterise phenotypes of invasive non-typhoidal Salmonella, under the supervision of Jay Hinton.

Returning to Liverpool for a PhD in autumn 2020, under the supervision of Alistair Darby and Christopher Quince, Hannah will explore the use of long read platforms to directly detect gastroenteric pathogens through metagenome sequencing. She will incorporate novel techniques, yet to be developed, to detect mobile genetic elements in the human gut microbiome.

Between finishing her Undergraduate degree and starting her PhD, Hannah worked as a COVID-19 Laboratory Scientist as part of a 24-hour testing service using RT-PCR antigen detection methods.

Blessing Mbaebie Oyedemi

Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Nottingham

Dr Blessing Mbaebie Oyedemi is a research fellow at Nottingham Trent University with research interest in natural product drug discovery for molecular mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance research (AMR), both in academia and clinical research settings. As an AMI member, her passion resonates as an advocate for sustainable antimicrobial interventions through research, strengthening education and promoting policy. 
She believes strongly in the values of AMI and the opportunities provided to all levels of scientists, researchers, and all public walks of life to be a change agent trying to solve everyday challenges and influence change through microbiology 
 

Zina Alfahl 

Postdoctoral Researcher, National University of Ireland

Zina joined the School of Pharmacy at Queen’s University Belfast, UK in September 2018 to purse her PhD degree in the relationship between airway microbiome composition, inflammation and clinical outcomes in patients with Bronchiectasis. In 2018, Zina acquired a BSc (Hons) in Pharmacy from Al Ain University of Science and Technology, UAE. In 2019, she was awarded the Associate Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA) award. Zina is currently the Postgraduate Chair and acting as a student representative member at the SWAN SAT team for gender equality at the School of Pharmacy, QUB. Zina is interested in engaging with scientific community and in promoting microbiology.   

Supram Hosuru Subramanya

AMI International Conference Committee Member  , Manipal College of Medical Sciences

Dr. Supram HS is  a medical microbiologist, with a Doctorate in Medical Microbiology from Manipal Academy of Higher Education, India. Currently, he is working as Assistant Professor in MCOMS, Nepal. He is experienced in diagnostic microbiology and teaching undergraduate and postgraduate medical students. He is a member of the Infection Control Committee and Hospital Waste Management Committee at Manipal Teaching Hospital, Nepal. His area of research is infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance (One-Health perspective), and emerging fungal infections. Since 2014, he has been working in various international collaborative research projects. His research yielded more than 45 publications in international medical journals.

He is also an active reviewer for several academic journals such as PlosOne, Lancet-ID, Frontiers, Journal of Chemotherapy, JAC-AMR, BMC series, EC Microbiology, AJMS, etc. He is serving as Academic Editor of PLoS ONE, Research Editor of JAC-AMR official journal of the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy and Section Editor in Nepal Journal of Epidemiology. Based on demonstrated excellence in research and commitment to advance society, Dr. Supram is appointed as International Young Ambassador for Science to Nepal from the American Society for Microbiology in 2020. He also received more than 20 awards for his research from various international scientific societies.

Hasan Yesilkaya

Associate Professor, University of Leicester

I studied veterinary medicine at Ankara University Turkey. After completion of my PhD in Leicester on oxidative stress resistance of important human pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae under the supervision of Prof Peter Andrew I worked in Utrecht as an EMBO fellow then moved to Aberdeen University where I studied transposable elements of Mycobacterium tuberculosis as a postdoctoral fellow. Since 2003 I have been working as a research fellow (2003-2012) lecturer (2012-2020) then as an associate professor (2020 onward) at the University of Leicester.